News for alumni and friends of the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and the School of Hospitality Management (SHM)

Special Section:
School of Hospitality Management
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Special Section: School of Hospitality Management
School of Hospitality Management
75th Anniversary
The School of Hospitality Management has reached a significant milestone this year;
it is celebrating seventy-five years since its inception. A marquee event regarding the
occasion was held on Blue-White weekend this past April. At the event, in addition
to commemorating the school’s anniversary, Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society
(PSHRS) honored Edward R. “Ned” Book ’54 HA with the Lifetime Achievement
Award to recognize his lifelong contributions to the industry and to Penn State.
Father and son Harry Gilbert ʼ54 HA and Ron Gilbert ʼ80 FS
HA comprise one of the many multi-generation families to
receive a hospitality management degree from Penn State.
The celebration served as a reunion for many alumni, including (L-R): Aileen
Konhauser ʼ42 H Ec, ʼ51g FS HA; Ted Balabanis ʼ55 HA; Harry Gilbert ʼ54 HA;
Jack Heinze ʼ56 HA.
Faculty members Dan Mount (with his wife Kate) and
Pete Bordi ’76 FS HA, ʼ81g M E R.
Ned Book ʼ54 HA being served by the Nittany Lion mascot.
Photo Credit: Chuck Fong (8)
The wonderful service and decor provided by Jim
Purdum ’77 FS HA and his staff at the Nittany Lion Inn.
Alumni and friends enjoy conversation during the
reception (L-R): Sue Paterno ʼ62 LIB, Jack Diehl ʼ54
BUS, Mary Jane Heinze ʼ60 LIB.
Co-master of ceremonies John Black ʼ62 LIB speaks
during the dinner program.
Wade McCorkel ʼ10 Eng, Amanda Liddick ʼ11 HDFS, Melissa Book,
Franco Harris ʼ72 FS HA, Eric Book ʼ12 HR&IM, Ned Book ʼ54 FS HA.
Special Section: School of Hospitality Management
Ned Book is presented with the PSHRS Lifetime Achievement Award (L-R): John Heinze ʼ57 HA, co-master of
ceremonies; Nan Crouter, Raymond E. and Erin Stuart
Schultz Dean, College of Health and Human Development; Ned Book ʼ54 HA; Tom Riley ʼ91 LE ST, PSHRS
president.
Joe McCann ʼ78 FS HA was one of several guest speakers to share reflections on the school’s 75th anniversary
and Ned Book’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
(L-R): Phoebe Seiverling ʼ04 HRIM; Sara Parks ʼ97g
EDU; Henry Parks; Maisie Seiverling ʼ71 LIB, ’82 LAW.
Ned Book ‘54 HA is presented with proclamations from
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (L-R): John O’Neill,
director, School of Hospitality Management; Tom Riley
‘91 LE ST; Ned Book ʼ54 HA; John Heinze ʼ57 HA.
(L-R): Jim Keiser, Ted Farrand ʼ71 FS HA,
Tim Colligan ʼ86 HRIM.
Photo Credit: Chuck Fong (9)
Students participate in the
celebration (L-R): Megan
Taylor, Jenna Lucas, Nittany
Lion mascot, Jasmine Franklin,
Justine Laniewski ʼ12 HRIM,
John Ventura, Brett Ehrhardt ’12
HRIM, Christina Jacoby, Eric
Book ʼ12 HRIM.
(L-R): Joan Beiter, Bill Lindsay
ʼ53 HA, Christine Gallo, Jack
Beiter ʼ52 EDU.
Jim Purdum ʼ77 FS HA and Barbara Purdum ’99, ʼ01g NURS.
(L-R): John Heinze ʼ57 HA, Kathy Heinze, Rob Grimes ʼ80 FS HA,
Mary Jane Heinze.
Special Section: School of Hospitality Management
Photo Courtesy: Ned Book
Photo Credit: Chuck Fong
Honoring A Lifetime of Achievement
Edward R. Book ’54
Ned’s career in the hospitality industry began in 1951 at Howard Johnson’s Restaurant, where he continued to work on weekends and summers while attending Penn
State. The restaurant was run by two Penn
State alumni—Dick Myers and Don Cavanaugh—and this would be the first of many
alumni interactions throughout Ned’s career in the industry.
After graduating from Penn State in 1954
with a degree in hotel administration
and the ROTC program, Ned spent four
months in the Army Basic Infantry Officer
Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was
then stationed in Germany from 1955 to
1956, followed by Fort Dix, N.J., where he
trained recruits in the Army.
After his time in the service, Ned returned
to the hospitality industry with Howard
Johnson’s Restaurants in Gettysburg, Pa.
His career progressed in management at the
Harrisburger Hotel, the Hotel Bethlehem,
and Cleveland’s Hospitality Motor Inn.
In 1969, his career took off when he was
hired as general manager of the Hotel Hershey. In 1974, he was elected president,
chairman, and chief executive officer of
Hershey Estates, later to be renamed Hershey Entertainment and Resorts (HERCO).
Under Ned’s leadership, HERCO went
through significant expansion and development, which gave the company a national
reach. Described by his peers as an inspirational and visionary leader, Ned implemented a strategy to geographically diversify the
company in the wake of the Three-Mile
Island nuclear accident, the Polio outbreak,
and the gas crisis that drastically affected
the region. He also oversaw property enhancements in Hershey, as well as expansion through acquisition and development
in the Poconos and in Connecticut and
Texas. Ned was a great believer in education; as a result, he implemented progressive
training for his managers and employees.
He also created a salary administration program with equity; met with employees on a
Photo Courtesy: Ned Book
Photo Credit: Chuck Fong
Photo Credit: Chuck Fong
regular basis; and formed an employee association with social activities, an employee
newsletter, and discount cards for employees to use company facilities.
Ned also is recognized for broadening TIA’s
scope. He spearheaded the industry’s efforts
to combat crime by introducing a three-point
plan calling for gun control, and he joined
forces with both government and the World
Tourism Organization to draw attention to
this worldwide problem. In a battle against
what he saw as unfair taxes, he helped to develop, along with the American Society of Travel
Agents (ASTA), the Campaign to Keep Travel
Ned’s contributions to the industry as a leader and to Penn State as a volunteer are far
reaching and have carved a path for success
and progress that we continue to enjoy today.
Despite a very busy executive agenda, Ned
made time to volunteer both in and out of the
industry. During his career, he was a volunteer
with TIA since 1974 and served as the national chair from 1981 to 1982. He also served as
chairman of the Pennsylvania Travel Industry
Advisory Council, and he was a trustee of the
American Hotel and Motel Association. Ned
continues to serve the State College community, and he serves in many capacities for organizations such as SCORE, the Foundation for
Mount Nittany Medical Center, WBCA Pink
Zone, the Penn State All-Sports Museum,
the Palmer Museum of Art, and the Village
Heights Condo Association.
Photo Courtesy: Ned Book
Ned left HERCO in 1987 to serve as president and chief executive officer of the Travel
Industry Association of America (TIA),
known today as the U.S. Travel Association
(USTA). During that time, the TIA represented all components of the $397-billion
travel industry with a mission to promote
travel to and within the United States. Ned
is credited with helping to unify the industry by developing more proactive, aggressive
strategies and programs, including leading
the industry’s efforts to increase international
visitation. TIA’s highest category of membership jumped 400 percent during his tenure.
Competitive, which was housed at TIA. Ned
was quick to voice the industry’s boycotts,
and he assisted in forming the African American Travel and Tourism Association. He was
also instrumental in bringing about the firstever White House Conference on Travel and
Tourism. Ned retired from the TIA in 1994
after a tremendous career serving the hospitality industry for more than forty years.
Special Section: School of Hospitality Management
Ned received the Alumni Fellow Award from
Penn State in 1981 and the Penn State Hotel
and Restaurant Society’s Hospitality Executive of the Year Award in 1984. He continues
to serve as a Conti Professor in the School of
Hospitality Management. In 1986, he received
Penn State’s Distinguished Alumni Award,
the highest honor bestowed upon Penn State
alumni. He is a past president of the Penn State
Alumni Association and the Penn State Hotel
and Restaurant Society, and he has served on
the Penn State Board of Trustees. While serving on the Penn State Board of Trustees he was
vice president of the board from 1982 to 1985.
Ned and his wife Inga have been married
for fifty-nine years and currently reside in
State College. They first met at a Penn State
freshmen orientation event and later married during Ned’s junior year. The couple
has three children—Sandy, Ed, and Fred—
and five grandchildren.
Photo Credit: Chuck Fong
Photo Courtesy: Ned Book (2)
Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society
PSHRS seeks to unite alumni of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management (and alumni of predecessor majors)
in order to serve alumni, students, and faculty and staff members of the School of Hospitality Management. Below is
an update from the PSHRS president about current activities and ways to get involved.
PSHRS held its annual Alumni Awards reception on October 5, 2011,
at the Nittany Lion Inn. Bruce Thomas ’80 FS HA, vice president,
guest services, Geisinger Health Systems, received the Alumnus of the
Year Award. Michael Pajak ’06 HRIM, manager, global feasibility
and investment analysis, Hilton Worldwide, and Leigh Silkunas ’08
HRIM, area revenue manager, Kimpton Hotels, received Emerging Undergraduate Professional Awards. Peeranee Musigchai ’04
MHRIM and Suksan Ruangpattana ’04 MHRIM, co-owners,
Cozy Thai Bistro, State College, received the Emerging Graduate Professionals Award. The reception was held in conjunction with the annual “Alumni in the Classroom” program, for which sixty-five alumni
returned to engage students and speak in the classroom.
In November, PSHRS honored Randy Smith, chairman and cofounder of STR, as the Hospitality Executive of the Year during a
reception at the Kimmel Center at New York University.
PSHRS will be hosting the annual alumni summer weekend, featuring the School of Hospitality Management reception and the
Benefield Bash on July 20-22 in Philadelphia, Pa.
The PSHRS career opportunities/alumni job board is available to
alumni and industry partners posting open positions and seeking
employment (183 positions posted in 2011). View postings as well as
other activities and event information at the PSHRS website.
Connect with the Affiliate Program Group
Website
www.pshrs.org
APG President
Tom Riley ’91 LE ST
tom.riley@kimptongroup.com